Fate
by dinocade
Summary: Based directly after the Left Behind DLC. They wait it out. All poetic, losing their minds together. Well, one of them at least. Rated T for language, some violence. MAJOR SPOILERS.


She never believed in fate.

She always found the concept a bit stupid. Fate, destiny. It wasn't real. There was literally no such thing.

Because she knew this wasn't fate.

"God damn it, GOD DAMN IT!" She screamed, smashing the porcelain with her lead pipe, heaving a heavy sigh and taking a seat next to Riley.

Ellie heard everything she was saying. She really did. She listened, but she could hardly speak, far too focused on the way her stomach was twisting and turning. She wanted to cry but she couldn't.

Riley, who she had just kissed, Riley, who she's in love with, was going to die. And so was she.

Riley, who was going to stay for her.

"Let's get out of here."

The two of them walked in silence, clutching their wounds which still bled, out into morning light. The sun shone down and at any other time this day would seem particularly beautiful.

Ellie closed her eyes for a moment, imagining them escaping. Imagining that she DID make it onto that ledge, that they got out. Or maybe that she didn't, that she fell and she fucking died. And Riley made it out. That would be fine.

"Hey," Riley spoke up, tilting her head slightly. Ellie's eyes fluttered back open, and she glanced back at her friend.

"It's going to be okay," She said, "Now come on."

How? How could this turn out okay? It couldn't, it couldn't.

The two of them ducked down behind a dumpster as one of the military caravans rolled by, the messages playing out again, from that woman with the drone-like voice.

They ignored it, minds fuzzy and filled with a thousand thoughts, as they snuck through the back of an alley. They slid into a sitting position, and said nothing.

The older of the two looked up at the sky, while the younger stared down at her arm, absentmindedly picking at the fresh bite.

"Hey, stop that," Riley scolded.

"What does it matter? We're going to die."

"It does matter!" Her voice raises, though she notices this, and quiets down, "I. . ."

"What?"

"I'm going to sound crazy."

"A little late for that."

"Shut up."

They laugh in soft, sad chuckles.

"I – I have a feeling," Riley continues.

"What the hell does that mean?"

"This isn't it, I don't think," She hums in thought, "This isn't over yet."

"I ask again, what the hell does that mean?"

Riley averts her eyes from her hand to Ellie, warm, chocolate brown meeting emerald green.

"You know, I don't really know."

That eye contact remains for seconds that feel like hours, before Riley coughs.

"Riley," Ellie yelps suddenly, standing up and watching as the other girl coughs and hacks for a moment, before finally throwing up.

She knew the symptoms. Sickness, increased aggression. She knew that it couldn't take minutes, or even hours. But she knew Riley was turning now.

Just as the dark skinned girl was about to sit back up, she began coughing again, and Ellie winced at just how painful it all sounded. It didn't stop. And she knew she couldn't do a damn thing about it.

She moved closer, patting her back gently with one hand, the other running fingers through her tied up hair. Tears welled in her eyes, and she barely tried to will them away.

The coughs died down, and Riley leaned back against the wall, Ellie sitting next to her.

Silence.

Their knees touched at one point, but neither of them moved away from one another. Soon enough, their fingers were entwined as well.

An hour must have gone by before they looked at one another again. Ellie seriously wanted to cry at what she saw.

Riley's eyes were red and irritated, and she just looked sickly, her face sunken in. Weak. So, so different from the girl she kissed and danced with and told jokes to a few hours ago.

"This is better." She perked up.

". . .In what way?" The green eyed girl ignored the way her voice cracked.

"I don't care that I'm dying. . .I'm a firefly. Leaving, I would've died soon enough anyway. Without you. But the two of us here together? This is how it was meant to be."

Meant to be. Destiny. Fate.

This wasn't how it was supposed to end – It wasn't.

Ellie couldn't speak. She was too choked up and it was so, so hard not to break down.

She watched Riley close her eyes.

. . .

"Mm. . ." She stirred, and Ellie flinched. The hand holding hers tightened it's grip, nails digging into her hand. But she couldn't feel the pain. She just watched.

When her eyes opened again, they were a bright, disgusting yellow. She was sitting up slowly, looking around, hissing, as if the sun was hurting her eyes.

Then she saw Ellie.

The growls she emitted were so menacing.

She leaned forward, hand releasing itself from Ellie's, clawing forward to scratch at her, and leaning onto her, mouth so close to her neck –

She snapped back to reality, trying to push Riley off of her, blinking away the tears as she threw her aside, taking out her knife.

She held it high, ready to stab. But she couldn't, she couldn't, she couldn't. . .

"I'm sorry," She whispered, barely loud enough to hear, as she threw the blade down and pierced her skull. The familiar yet distorted voice gasped in pain for just a second, before her body fell limp.

For the first time in hours, Ellie couldn't keep in the tears anymore. She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.

And she waited, for more hours to come, sitting there next to her friend – her very best friend, her favorite person, her _love._

She waited for her turn. She waited to become one of those things, head out onto the street, get shot by the military, and join Riley.

But nightfall came fast, and it never happened.

"Ellie," Joel said again, a bit louder this time.

"What? Oh – " She blinked, "Sorry, what?"

He sighed.

"Let's get a move on."

"Yeah."

Riley was right. It wasn't over, even now.


End file.
